The demand for communications via optical fiber continues to increase. Higher reliability and data rates along with lower power utilization for fiber compared to conventional copper wire infrastructure are just a few reasons for this increased use. This demand will increase further still as fiber is deployed for storage and network applications, as well as data center infrastructures.
However, increased usage and data rates come at a price, particularly in the form of increased cabling and increased cooling costs. In fact, it is estimated that cooling costs can contribute up to more than 50% of a data center's operating costs. Not surprisingly, the denser the fiber optic cabling is for a given infrastructure as a result of increased reliance on optical fiber connectivity, the less efficient cooling can be for equipment racks.